Tag Archives: Spain

Spain

Getting our Spanish Drivers License

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We are residents of Spain and unfortunately the Spanish government does not recognise our Canadian driver’s licence beyond the first six months in Spain.

We have been studying and preparing for the inevitable task of getting our Spanish driver’s licence. This process began three months ago when we bought the study book in English. The book was very expensive and cost around $150. euros. We also had access to a bank of practice questions online which was a good start for studying.

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The system to get your driver’s licence is very different here compared to Canada. All persons getting their driver’s licence are required to take classes at a registered driving school “Autoescuela”. We attended a few of the driving schools to get general information before registering with one of the schools. We decided to go with an autoescuela located not far from where we live.

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We registered and paid our $59.95 each for the theory class. It is provided online and is also available in English.  We are now working towards the formal written test which we have scheduled for September 22nd.

There are still a few things we need to complete before the test. We are required to obtain a medical certificate at a specific medical facility. This must be done at least one week prior to the test. We are also required to have two passport size photos.

We will be getting these done next week and studying the materials before the test on September 22nd.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

 

Spain

Unique and quaint restaurant

On Tuesday evening we went out with friends to a quaint Spanish restaurant called “La Taberna Iberica”.  The restaurant is in the old quarter of Alicante in a small alley up some stairs.

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The walkway towards La Taberna Iberica Restaurant

Inside the restaurant, we were greeted by the owner who welcomed us more like family than customers. We sat down in the quaint restaurant and chatted with the owner for a while.

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Inside La Taberna Iberica Restaurant
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Mike, Ray Liz and Shelley at “La Taberna Iberica” Restaurant

We did not have a menu and only ordered some red wine. What was truly enjoyable was the fact that she decides what to cook and serves us a variety of different dishes.

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One of the many courses served to us over the evening

We were served numerous courses of food, including tapas, fish, shrimp, ham, cheese and an assortment of sweet treats for dessert.

When we were leaving the restaurant she took the time to chat with us and walk with us to the door. It was a very nice spot and the service was friendly.

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One of the owners of “La Taberna Iberica” Restaurant

After our meal, we took a walk and stopped at a terrace bar in a small hotel called “Les Monges Palace”. The terrace bar was quiet and we had a perfect spot to enjoy a nice after dinner drink. The view from the terrace was beautiful and we could see the Castillo de Santa Barbara.

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View of the Castillo de Santa Barbara from the terrace bar

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Vatican City

Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican, Rome

We toured the “Papal Basilica of St. Peter” which is commonly referred to as simply  St. Peter’s Basilica.

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The St. Peter Basilica with Michelangelo’s done n the Vatican Rome

The history of the church and why it is called St Peter is interesting.  Peter was one of the 12 apostles of Christ and was crucified upside down at the top of the hill called “Vaticanus” and the site of the Clementine Chapel. His remains are said to be those contained in the underground Confessio in St. Peter’s Basilica.

We entered the Basilica through the massive main doors and we were immediately exposed to the vast size of the church.

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Entrance of the St. Peter Basilica in Rome

The high ceiling and ornate designs were very impressive. The high ceilings accented the vast size of the church. The ceilings were decorated with ornate gold designs and other art motifs with marble pillars throughout.

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Ceiling in St Peter Basilica
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Ceiling section in St Peter Basilica

There were numerous statues throughout the church some of which were from the 1st century. These statues were created by many famous artists including Michelangelo. The first chapel on the right when we entered the Basilica contained the famous sculpture by Michelangelo “Pieta” which he completed before he was 25 years old.

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Michelangelo’s “Pieta” sculpture

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There were mosaic decorations that were very impressive including the mosaic decoration of the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian. It  adorns the chapel of St. Sebastian and at the base of the chapel is the tomb of Saint John Paul II.

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Chapel of Saint Sebastian in St. Peter Basilica
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The tomb of Saint John Paul II

The basilica floors were marble and had different designs. One area of the floor had engraved markings identifying different churches throughout the world and their  size in comparison to St. Peter Basilica.

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St. Peter Basilica floor with engravings of different Churches throughout the world

We went to the center of the Basilica and looked up to see the interior of the Michelangelo’s dome decorated by Calvalier d’Arpino. It is breathtaking with the rays of the sun shining through.

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Interior of Michelangelo’s Dome in the St Peter Basilica

We saw so many different monuments, altars and works of art that were very impressive. One monument that was amazing was situated under the Michelangelo dome .

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Monument under the Michelangelo dome in St Peter’s Basilica

There is an alabaster window which is quite impressive and large. It is located above the “Chair of St Peter” the window displays a dove signifying the holy spirit.

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The window is very large and the dove wing span is 6 feet wide. The beauty of this window is unbelievable. The light shines through the alabaster window highlighting the dove in a stunning and brilliant manner. It is one of the most stunning pieces of art we have ever seen.

We exited the Basilica and stepped out to see and admired the St Peter Square. The size and scope of the square were amazing.

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View from the front steps of the St Peter Basilica looking towards St Peter Square

We walked through the square and stopped to see two of the swiss guards who are the official guards of the Vatican since the 15th century. They are wearing their tradition dress uniform whose design is traditionally attributed to Michelangelo.

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Two swiss guards protecting an entrance to the Vatican

St Peter Square is a very large area with several iconic features. The square is bordered by two colonnades. They are composed of pillars and on, top there are 140 statues of Saints.

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End of the Colonnade in St Peter Square
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One of the colonnades at St Peter Square

From the far end of the square, you overlook the square with St. Peter’s Basilica and the Michelangelo dome in the distance.

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View of Saint Peter Square

The square has an Egyptian obelisk from the 1st century which was erect in the centre of the square in the fifteenth century.

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Egyptian obelisk of red granite, 25.5 metres tall,  in the centre of the St Peter Square

We had a very long day walking through the Vatican museums, The Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Saint Peter Square. It was an amazing experience for us. Below are some pictures from St Peter’s Basilica and the St Peter Square.

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Ray and Shelley in the St Peter Square with the St Peter’s Basilica in the background

“bene vale , et postea videbo vos”

Spain

Cruising the Mediterranean

We have been thinking about taking a cruise for quite some time now. We finally decided to take a cruise and selected the Norwegian cruise line with a 7-day Mediterranean cruise. The cruise took us from Barcelona to Naples, Rome, Florence, Cannes, Marseille and back to Barcelona.

This was our first cruise and we were not sure what to expect when we arrived to board the ship. We arrived early and found a lineup of people with suitcases in tow getting ready to board the ship. We Got in line and managed to board the ship easily with a few stops to fill out paperwork.

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Checking into the Norwegian Epic cruise ship in Barcelona

We walked a long gangway to the cruise ship called the Epic.

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View of the side of the Norwegian Epic ship from the gangway

The ship is the very impressive and it has the longest water slide on any cruise ship.

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The Epic claims they have the largest slide on any cruise ship
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The waterside goes right around the top section of the deck

We walked through the ship checking it out. On one of the decks, there is a section with several different restaurants and shops. In the centre of the floor area was an opening with a large crystal chandelier hanging down to the floor area below. It was quite impressive and a nice feature for the restaurant below us.

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The Epic crystal chandelier claimed to be the largest of any cruise ship

Our first evening on the cruise we went up to the top deck area and enjoyed a relaxing beverage and watched the sun set over the  Mediterranean sea.

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Sunset viewed from the upper deck of the Epic

On one of the lower decks, there was an outdoor track where we could walk and look out over the side of the ship.

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Walking and running track on the Epic cruise ship.
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view from the walking/running track on the Epic ship

We took several excursions when the ship was docked. We tried to explore as many places along the trip as possible.  On one excursion we could not dock on shore and had to take a boat to ferry us to shore.

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Leaving the cruise ship by boat to head to shore.
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View of the Epic ship from our boat
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View of one of the boats used to bring people to shore

The cruise was different from what we are accustomed to for travelling, the pace is relaxed, the downtime is full of things to do and the food was extremely good. We enjoyed the change of pace by travelling via a cruise ship.

Here is a short video of some of the highlights of the cruise ship “The Norwegian Epic”.

https://youtu.be/_UvmNK-7Ylo

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

The town of Figures Spain

We took a tour to the Town of Figueres which has a population of approximately 45,000.  The town is beautiful and located  approximately 2 hours away from Barcelona. The town of Figueres is also the hometown of Salvador Dali. The Dali museum is located there and was created when Dali was alive. It holds the largest collection of Dali art in the world.

We arrived at the Dali museum and saw this very unique building. The structure itself is a piece of art and reflects Dali’s style.

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Dali Museum

We entered the museum and was amazed by the dynamic and strange displays of Dali art. The main entrance introduces you to the creative, complexity and strange world of Dali. It took us time to observe all the areas of the entrance seeing new things at every turn.

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first room once inside the Dali Museum
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The first room in the Dali Museum
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View in first room of Dali Museum

The museum was like a maze with different and amazing items at every turn. Some of the displays required a second or third look to see the layers of complexity in them. You would walk through a doorway and not realize that the doorway was a piece of art.

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Doorway in Dali Museum

In Dali’s later life he lived In his home town of Figueres until he passed away at 85. He was entombed in the Dali museum and is part of the exhibits on display.

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Tomb of Salvador Dali

In one area of the museum, we came across a mural painted by Dali on the ceiling that was beautiful and very intriguing. The painting which is called “ The palace of the winds” was done by Dali when the building was a theater in 1970. The mural alludes to the Catalonian poem about the rain that falls when the west wind turns to become the east wind. In the poem, the east wind has a married lady love in the west and whenever he beholds her he turns about again and returns weeping.

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Mural on ceiling in Dali Museum
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View of the center of the ceiling mural

Other areas of the museum were quirky and strange. We went into a room that had Dali’s signature” lip couch” on display.

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Dali’s Lip couch on display with fireplace nose and painting eyes.

We noticed a set of stairs that had a lens overlooking the display. We went up the stairs and checked it out. The image changed to a full face.

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Dali full face exhibit

The whole museum was more of a surreal walk into the mind of Dali. Here are some of the unique things we saw.

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Hanging part of light system in stairwell of Dali Museum
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Full wall painting by Dali which is across from the main entrance area
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Dali “rock” sculpture
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Dali sculpture

There were many different and unique pieces of art. What was even more amazing was that Dali also designed jewelry and dresses for his wife “Gala”. The creativity of the jewelry and dresses was truly amazing. Below are a few samples of the jewelry and dresses he designed.

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Eye brooch with a clock in the eye
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Gem covered heart
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Dresses designed by Dali for his wife Gala

 

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Display of different dresses designed by Dali for his wife Gala

It was a great museum and was an experience we enjoyed immensely.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”